


A hundred battles towards happiness

by Piff



Series: Alpha Beta Oh no.. [3]
Category: Creepypasta - Fandom
Genre: (with extra bits), A+ parenting with good intentions, Alpha Liu, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Characters never described visually so good luck, Creepy Pastas as Human, Laughing Jack is a sweetheart, M/M, No Smut, Non-Linear Narrative, Omega Jeff, Sibling Rivalry, alpha Laughing Jack, figuring out a relationship, ish, sexism in an ABO society, teenage angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:29:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28463862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Piff/pseuds/Piff
Summary: Before he got sick, Jeff was just another angsty teenager, trying to grow up in a world that demanded he roll over and submit. Fuck that.Laughing Jack was an Alpha intrigued by this pocket-sized Omega with an attitude, and wanted to know more.Liu just wanted five minutes of peace.
Relationships: Jeffrey Woods | Jeff the Killer & Liu Woods | Homicidal Liu, Laughing Jack/Jeffrey Woods | Jeff The Killer
Series: Alpha Beta Oh no.. [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1416913
Comments: 9
Kudos: 9





	A hundred battles towards happiness

“Me next me next!” the toddler begged, blue eyes shining as his fists pummeled the man’s leg.

His father laughed, tossing his other son up into the air one more time before throwing Liu into the pool with a shrill shriek of glee and a SPLASH. The man then scooped up the darker haired boy easily and did the same, throwing him up into the air and catching him on the way down. 

He was flying! 

“Marco! Be careful!” Wringing her hands in worry, the mother and Omega of the family watched with anxious eyes, looking from her one son paddling in the pool with his water-wings, and her other baby being tossed about like a leaf in the wind. “He’s delicate!”

“Jeff? Delicate? You could run him over with a bulldozer and he’d bounce right back,” the Alpha teased and tossed the tiny boy higher. “He’s made of iron!”

“He’s not like Liu, you should treat him more gently!”

“Nonsense. You worry too much, Ning. Why don’t you go inside while I watch the boys? Put your feet up and watch one of your shows.”

Biting her lower lip, the petite, dark haired woman hesitated a brief moment before bowing her head to his wishes and going back into the house. Jeff didn’t even notice her absence as he followed in Liu’s footsteps by getting tossed into the pool now. The cold water was a shock but warm hands brought him back up to the surface.

It was the perfect way to wear out two rambunctious boys on a hot summer day. When the toddlers started to flag and droop, Marco scooped them out of the pool to roughly towel them dry. He should have known Ning was still hovering nearby...

“Marco, he’s sunburned!”

“We all are, aren’t you going to fuss over me too?”

“You’re an Alpha, he’s an Omega, his skin is more fragile than yours. Oh my poor baby.. come with me, I’ll take care of this.”

Blues eyes peeping out from under the fluffy towel he’d been enveloped in, Jeff stared mournfully over his mother’s shoulders as he was carried off. “Wanna play!”

“Hush my darling. Be good and we’ll have a tea party, won’t that be nice?”

Jeff whined his complaints all the way down the hall, leaving Marco to shake his head and finish drying off Liu. “Wanna go raid the kitchen before your nap? I bet there’s more cookies down there.”

“Yes!”

\---

Laughing Jack rarely resorted to using Vicks rub when working with a client, he liked being able to use all his senses to keep track of their nervousness and potential to faint. You never knew, especially when doing someone’s very first ever tattoo, if you were about to poke and prod a stone cold statue or a Victorian lady suffering from vapors. 

However, when it came to one particular client Laff needed all the professional help he could get. Therefore he dabbed the smelly mixture under his nose and blocked out everything else before he met with Jeff at the counter.

“I’m all set up for you, come on back!”

The shorter man tilted his head with a narrow eyed look but didn’t argue. The working half of the shop was loosely divided up into cubicles with movable walls, and he ushered Jeff into the corner cheerfully. Nearby he could hear his co-worker carefully go through the steps of after-care to the young beta who’d requested an infinity loop that dissolved into flying birds.. but that was ignorable.

“Another well deserved win, right? Since you made the appointment I’m assuming you won. Are we still going straight down the spine?”

“Yeah.. I mean, yes. To both.” Jeff hesitated before slowly continuing, “..it was a pretty hard fight this round. The teams were more balanced in skill and number this time, so it wasn’t a massacre like last month. Which does make it a better win, though there were some serious grudge matches going on for the people who were disqualified early on.”

Laff took his coat and hung it on a hook, and waited for Jeff to pull his shirt off over his head to do the same with it. Jeff gave him another narrow-eyed, suspicious glare but hopped onto the chair, arms folded across the back as he sat backwards. Everything smelled excruciatingly clean and Jeff’s nose wrinkled at the smell of bleach.

“Do they get any points, the ones who drop out first? If the game is going to take a couple days before finishing, do they lose out on the whole thing or do they just have to sit in time out for a while?”

Gloves on, Laff checked the autoclave. Everything was well cleaned before the client ever arrived but sometimes it was good to make a show of it. He started pulling out the tiny bottles and packets of needles and wipes. 

“This might be cold,” he warned before slowly approaching Jeff’s back. He swept the thick hair up over Jeff’s shoulder and started to clean the space between Jeff’s shoulder blades. The delicate lines of the previous work brightened under the wet wipes and he could tell they had healed beautifully. 

Jeff hissed a little, shoulders wriggling in discomfort. “Well.. depends on the game. If it’s a long one, then you just wait a certain amount of time before you can ‘respawn’ and head back out onto the field. A short game, a very short game, means when you’re out then you’re fucking out. But people who pay to play in a game that covers a couple days? No one would put up with a permanent death.”

Laff grinned. It could take a couple minutes for Jeff to relax and realize L actually wanted to know about his hobby, the poor guy was so used to being talked over and ignored. While listening carefully, Laff looked over his work with pride.

Not bullets, that had been a silly idea. There were no bullets in paintball, and the little rounds they did use were just.. colored balls. No, he’d convinced the Omega to go with something much more interesting- for every tournament he won (team or otherwise) then Laughing Jack would outline another vertebrae of his spine. Simple, easily collected tally marks of his triumphs. A bit on the painful side perhaps, but once Jeff had seen the initial sketch-up he’d insisted on going through with it.

L had no idea what he’d do when he got down to Jeff’s lower back; hopefully they’d be honestly dating by then or he’d have to cut his nose clean off. Even now slipping through the eye-watering menthol was the faintest thread of something delicious and Laff really, really wanted to lick the bare skin right in front of him. So pale and smooth, like fine china. Just think of all the things he could draw onto such a lovely canvas..!

The stencil was all ready to go, and while Laff could have used it as an excuse to take more time, he knew it was better if he got the fiddly parts done and over with. He carefully laid it over Jeff’s spine and aligned it with the previous bit, no overlap or gaps, and smoothed the ink into place with a damp cotton ball.

“So how many times did you die this time? I can’t imagine it’d be easy to catch you.”

Jeff propped his chin onto his folded arms and Laff could hear the grin as the Omega got comfortable.

“Only twice for all three days. The other team tried to call me out as a cheat but the officials, the guys who watch the field to make sure no one tries to shoot someone already out? Knew full well I hadn’t and refused to be harassed about it. Too bad, the last game we nearly had a full on brawl.”

Laughing, Laff could only imagine how that would work out. Guns tossed aside and the players covered in splattered paint as they threw punches.. an amusing picture.

“Maybe you can tell me more about it during dinner?”

\---

“Now hold the cup with your fingertips and take a sip… Jeff, are you listening to me?”

Not even remotely, as the five year old stuffed a cookie into his mouth. His head shot up when, at the front of the house, a door opened and slammed shut. He knew _exactly_ what that meant and Jeff shot off like an arrow to greet his father, leaving the table and cookies and mother behind without a second thought.

“Daddy!”

Jeff hurled himself into his father’s legs, hugging his thigh. “Daddy, play with me!”

“Play with you? _Play with you_? You little ruffian, don’t you know your old man is tired and needs to get some rest?” All complete lies, as Marco tossed his coat at the couch and leaned down to pick Jeff up by the waist. He promptly spun the child upside down and shook him playfully. “What am I going to do with such a demanding boy? Feed him to the basement trolls?”

“Noooo!” giggling madly as blood rushed to his head, Jeff squirmed and kicked until he was also dropped onto the couch to bounce on the cushions. He watched his father take off his shoes and chuck them at the box by the door, where all the shoes lived in a jumbled mess that made his mother sigh.

“Where’s your brother?”

“Liu’s doing hom’work.”

“Is he? And what about yours?”

“Mama says math isn good for me, it’ll fry my brains.” The five year old held out his arms stiffly. “I’ma be a zombie and the trolls won’ try to eat me!”

“..I see. Well Scamp, tough luck, but you gotta do your homework too. Scoot, and I’ll play with you later. Where’s Mama?”

“Kitchen.”

“Alright, tell Liu that when you _both_ are done, we’ll go out to the park and chase squirrels. Alright? I’m going to go talk to your mother.”

“Okaaaay.”

Jeff dragged his feet towards the stairs. Maybe Liu would do his homework for him if Jeff asked really, really nicely?

\---

“Wait, there’s a grill _in_ the table? Like.. actual flames?”

Laughing Jack was relieved to hear that Jeff seemed intrigued by the idea. Enough so that he didn’t comment on Laff taking his coat. Or even notice that Laff had done so, looking around the restaurant with bright eyes. 

The Japanese grill was far more interactive than most places as one did indeed cook right at the table. Bite sized pieces of meat and vegetables and mushrooms prepared by the restaurant and brought out in small bowls and plates for the customers to pick and choose from.

It was one of Laff’s favorite places, though it was pricey enough to keep it for special occasions only. And what was more special than a date with his favorite client?

A pair of fingers against Jeff’s lower back carefully pushed him towards the booth where the waitress was waiting to hand them the menus and offer them drink options. Not that she was able to get that far as Laff started rattling them off himself.

“They have the usual range of sodas, and some great sake- but that might be best after we’ve eaten. They have coffee too and....” Laff flipped through the pages trying to find the right one that listed all the drinks. “Beer? You did bring your ID right?”

Laff looked up in time to catch an odd look flash across Jeff’s face. Had he said something wr- oh. Hah. Laughing Jack grinned at his very young date. “Nevermind. Nothing like a cold soda to go with a hot grill eh?” He’d let Jeff sip off his sake later if he wanted, but no drinking for another couple years.

Hmm… he felt like such a cradle robber all of a sudden. But Jeff had to be at least eighteen to get a tattoo, with _proof_ because that was the law, so Laff only felt bad for a moment.

“...yeah. Yeah. A coke,” pale blue eyes turning towards the waitress. There was a distinctively mullish cast to his frown when she glanced to Laff as if to confirm the request. 

He only raised his eyebrows at her. “And one for me.” Usually the staff here were pretty casual, so he was surprised to see her acting so stiffly. They'd never batted an eye at Laff showing off his full sleeve tattoos, but Jeff ordering his own drink was too much? Huh.

With that out of the way and the waitress fetching their drinks, Laughing Jack could get down to business on explaining the menu. It may have looked complicated with it’s dozens of meat options of all types and sizes, but it was just a matter of what you liked. 

“Or we can give up on the fiddly stuff and order a pre-set selection where we get a little of everything. What do you think?”

“I just want to set something on fire, so I’ll leave it to your _expert_ knowledge.”

Was that a challenge? Laughing Jack heard a challenge. Very well, he accepted! “A duo’s course of meats and a basket of marshmallows, gotcha. I always did like my s’mores crisp and crunchy.”

He grinned as Jeff tilted his head back and laughed without reserve.

There was, thankfully, no major fires during dinner. Merely a hearty sizzle as the meat was laid over the grill and the smell of cooking meat. There actually were marshmallows available as a dessert, but also broccoli and mushrooms and all sorts of sauces. Jeff had never had so much fun with food.

“Didn’t I say I’d make it worth your time?”

“Yeah yeah… so sue me for being suspicious. Not every day a big lanky Alpha keeps hounding me to go out with him after a single meeting.”

Laff placed a hand against his heart. “A single meeting that seared itself into my soul. I’ll never forget the first look I got of those pretty blue eyes, glaring at me so fiercely. You were like a warrior from the past ready to smash and loot your way through the town!”

Jeff searched for a hint of sarcasm. He was fully prepared to be offended at the high handed compliment, but there was this… note of sincerity throughout the admittedly flowery description. Jeff looked off to the side, uncomfortable.

“Prob’ly not what you’re used to from an Omega,” coming out more acidly than he’d intended.

Laff leaned back and considered the statement. “...no. Not really. The Omegas I tend to meet take one look at me and go quiet. It’s because I’m so tall you see. Even as a child I was intimidating people just because I was bigger than them, and I was getting challenged by Alphas before I officially presented. It’s taken years to work around that, but even so…” He shrugged. “I _like_ your feistiness, it makes me feel normal.”

Jeff could feel his cheeks going red and he avoided Laff’s gaze by putting more meat on the grill. Eventually he looked up and met the dark eyes still watching him, and smiled crookedly. “Let’s hear you say that in a couple months.”

\---

Three against one weren’t fair odds and Liu knew he was about to get his ass kicked by the local bullies. While his lackeys held Liu’s arms and pinned him in place, Lead Bully was cracking his knuckles and preparing his first of many punches. As a brand new Alpha freshly moved into the neighborhood, Liu had been expecting some hazing but this… this wasn’t fair at all. He was only fourteen! What did they have to fear from him?

Liu scrunched his eyes shut.

Except… Instead of getting his face broken in, there was an odd grunting wheeze and the sound of a large body hitting the ground. What no one had been expecting, least of all the bullies, was for the Leader to get tackled by a smaller, darker haired teenager hellbent on smashing the kid’s face in. 

“What the…”

Liu ignored the bewildered question in order to wrench himself free, and before either henchmen could gather the brain cells to attack, Liu grabbed for his brother and hauled him off the young Alpha. “Get out of here!”

Liu might have only started presenting, but every instinct in Liu’s body was screaming at him to protect his twelve year old brother.

Jeff obviously didn’t feel the same. As he was hauled backwards off the older teen, he lashed out with a foot and violently kicked the teen in the face with a crunch and bursting of blood.

“Stay away from my brother you asshole!”

It could be said that Jeff accepted his status with all the grace and serenity of a rabid bull in a glass house. Every time their mother started talking about the natural grace and sweetness of Omegas, Liu wanted to break out into hysterical laughter because just look at what she had been given instead.

Grabbing the _delicate_ and _dainty_ Omega by the back of his neck, Liu forced Jeff to follow him and leave the Alpha beaten and bloody on the ground. There’d be hell to pay for later on but for now Liu had to get them both out of there before anyone realized what had happened.

Liu already knew he’d get the blame for it all, no one would believe that an Omega would start a fight, but that was alright. It had been a glorious sight to see and their father would be proud to see Jeff standing up for himself and for Liu instead of acting like a helpless princess.

Their mother on the other hand..

“My baby!”

\---

It was late when Laughing Jack’s phone rang, and he looked up in surprise before scrambling for the gadget, sending his book to the floor. That ringtone was used for one and only one person and for them to be calling so late...

“What happened? Are you hurt?” If he got his shoes on and found his wallet, L could be on the road in a couple minutes. Might take a few hours to drive up to where Jeff was but..

“No! Jeez. Nothing’s wrong, I was just… bored.”

“Oh. Okay. That’s good.”

Silence fell between them awkwardly and Laff could take a good guess why Jeff sounded so tense. 

Last time Jeff had gone out-of-state for a tournament, Laff had complained about not getting a single phone call the entire time. The resulting explosion had taken them both by surprise as Jeff shouted about not needing someone putting him on a leash, and Laff yelling back that he wasn’t trying to control Jeff he’d just been concerned..

They talked nearly every day didn’t they? Three days with not even a text had been worrying!

It had taken nearly a week of short, terse replies sent back and forth before Jeff’s temper had cooled and Laff thought he could resist the urge to strangle the Omega long enough to talk it out. Laff didn’t expect for Jeff to check in every few hours, but he would like to know that Jeff was still alive after going out paint-bullets blazing and being shot at by other armed players. He’d seen the bruises Jeff came home with, had even been forced to put off a new mark on Jeff’s back to let some of them heal first! The tournaments were brutal and vicious, and while he didn’t _exactly_ worry that they’d harm Jeff, not on purpose, he did worry about accidents happening with Jeff so far from home.

...Jeff had been sullen about it, but even he could reluctantly agree why he could have been a teensy bit more communicative. 

Still, Laff hadn’t been expecting a call after he’d already gotten a text about the scores a couple hours ago. “So uh.. what are… is… everyone doing? Celebrating?”

“Yeah. Some of the guys decided to go to a bar but I wasn’t feeling it.” 

“Oh.” Laff didn’t point out that technically Jeff was also too underage to go drinking.. If he did, it might make Jeff go out to prove a point, and there was nothing Laff wanted less in the world then to know Jeff was out getting drunk while several hundred miles away from home.

“So.. umm….”

Jeff started and stopped, and Laff could sympathise. In usual times, they talked about everything. L would talk about his clients and new ideas, Jeff would tell him about his team practices and bitch about Liu wanting him to call his mother.. But tonight it felt harder to get the words flowing.

Laff scratched at his nose and pondered. “Hey, did Jane go out…?”

“Yeah?”

“So you’re all alone in the hotel room?”

“Yeah…”

Laff grinned. “What’re you wearing right now?”

For a long moment, he thought he’d gone too far and Jeff was going to hang up on him. But after a few agonizing seconds of him holding his breath.. he heard a snort. Perhaps even a muffled laugh.

“Yeah.. okay. I just got out of the shower, so shorts and a t-shirt. You?”

Score!

“I sleep naked,” Laff’s grin grew wider. “I was doing a little bit of reading in bed when you called… so you could say I’m wearing a book.” Except his book had landed on the floor, hadn’t it? Ah well, it’d give Jeff something to work with. They may or may not actually get down to full on phone-sex, but as long as he could make Jeff laugh then it was worth it.

\---

“You’re sure I shouldn’t call a doctor?”

Ning smiled at her sweet boy, such a good Alpha to be so worried about his brother. “He’ll be fine Liu, it’s just the hormones. Once he gets used to it he’ll be fine.”

As if to call her out on her assumptions, Jeff retched into the toilet bowl. The gagging sound made Ning’s stomach turn over a few times, but she held strong and stroked her baby’s back soothingly. The Heat of an immature Omega could be tough and her darling was a late bloomer (already fifteen!) so it was only natural for him to get hit harder than others. 

She needed to see about getting him a husband. Someone kind. Gentle. Willing to overlook his tomboyish antics and guide him toward a happy, loving family. It would be a few years before Jeff would have a full-blown heat, so there was time but not much of it.

“Here.”

Hmm? Oh. Yes, that would do just fine. Ning took the ice pack from Liu and lifted the hair off of Jeff’s neck to gently press it against his nape to help cool the fever. “Can you get me some..” 

Liu held out his other hand and the glass of water. The young Alpha lingered in the doorway and watched her coax Jeff into taking a sip. Only for him to end up hunched over the bowl again and coughing up the few drops, dry heaving for what felt like ages before his body stopped convulsing.

“Mom…”

“Really Liu, don’t you think I’d know if he should see a Doctor? He’ll be fine. He just needs to adjust. It’s something all us Omegas go through at one point or another.”

“I guess..” All Liu could do was watch from the sidelines until Jeff collapsed in exhaustion. Then it was his job to get Jeff off the floor and back to his room while Ning made sure the windows were closed and the fan running. She frowned at the walls she’d once prepared so painstakingly and were now slathered with posters to cover up the pink paint.

“Liu, make him clean this up. It’s horrid. He’ll never find a husband if he keeps this up.”

“I’ve got a few more things to worry about than his choice of posters Mom.” Liu pressed the back of his hand against Jeff’s forehead and frowned. Would Dad have taken him to the Doctors by now? Mom was completely unphased, but… Liu wavered. 

“More important than your _brother_?” His mother was aghast. “He’s your responsibility!”

“ _You’re_ his mother! _Our_ mother!” He was barely passing his classes as it was, he didn’t have _time_ for Jeff’s stupidities.

“Yes, but you’re the _Alpha_ , Liu! _You_ are the head of this family!”

\---

Laff’s fingers gripped the bedsheet tightly, enough that the material stretched and threatened to give way completely. When the Omega under him, blocked in by his arms, started to squirm Laff growled out-

“ _Stop. Moving_.”

Jeff went still. 

Laff screwed his eyes shut and desperately clawed back some self control. He opened his mouth to breathe, because if he used his nose he’d only get more of that needy Omega threaded with a hint of spice, and then things would really go to hell.

“Okay… okay…All good. Just gimme a moment.” 

When he was sure he wasn’t about to do something he’d regret, Laff slowly uncurled his hands from the bedclothes and sat up. His palms were bleeding… no surprise. He’d cut himself on his own fingernails, right through the sheet he’d gripped them so hard. 

Jeff pressed his palms over his eyes and took in a shaky breath.

“You _stopped_.” 

The sheer disbelief in his words killed what Laff hadn’t repressed and the Alpha felt ill. “Of course I did. I promised you I would, that’s what safewords are _for_.” He shivered, suddenly feeling cold. They’d only made it as far as shirts, still fully dressed below the waist, but now that the...heat of the moment.. had passed, he realized how chilly the room was. Laff swung a leg over and stepped off the bed. Not to go far because he only needed to grab the blanket he’d tossed from the bed earlier. 

Jeff had curled up in a ball, head buried in his arms and Laff gently wrapped the blanket around him. Himself, he found his shirt and pulled it on over his head. Hmm.. the collar was torn. That was alright, he had more. 

A little more decent now, the lanky man sat on the side of the bed and rubbed Jeff’s back. “It’s alright Babe. You’re not ready and that’s perfectly fine. I told you it was, didn’t I? Don’t rush it. Ok?” Taking the jerky head motion as an agreement, Laff laid down on the bed behind him and spooned the cottony bundle. 

It was only a blanket, but the vague nesting seemed to be working as Jeff started to smell less afraid. Less aroused too but that hardly mattered at the moment. His co-workers might like to brag about taking charge of their Omegas, but it made Laff feel sick to his stomach to even think of forcing Jeff to..Laff liked his partners to be _comfortable_.

“Did I go too fast? Babe, you gotta talk to me if you want me to understand.” That was in response to the whine from the blanket bundle. Jeff, if he was allowed to, would avoid talking about it all together but Laff wasn’t a mind reader.

“I don’t fucking _know_. If I knew I’d be able to stop it and I’d be able to be _normal_.”

Normal. Jeff used that word a lot. Laff had heard it uttered bitterly, resigned, furious, heart broken.. It made Laff want to fix it. Whatever ‘it’ was. Could… it be Laff himself? An awful and terrible thought, people always had found him to be too tall for their comfort... but on the other hand that could be easily fixed for the current situation. 

“I have an idea. Sit up for a moment.”

Hah. Yes. Now this was something they should have tried ages ago and Laff felt himself perking up in interest. It was a little odd to be laying flat on his back, but it was hot as hell to have Jeff on top straddling his hips. Best of all, Jeff looked like he was enjoying the view rather than growing more agitated. Phone sex had nothing on a half-naked Jeff right here.

Running his hands up and down Jeff’s sides, Laff told himself that this was just a step in the right direction. The glint in Jeff’s eyes might say otherwise but there was no need to rush things. Which reminded him-

“When’s your next heat?”

Jeff paused in his own exploration of Laff’s chest, hands partially up the torn shirt and making Laff want to squirm under the ticklish touch. “Uh… not for a couple months. Why?”

While Laff hated to bring the mood down just when things seemed to be working out a little better, he had to know. “Because I want you to be comfortable with me before all that comes along. Heats are messy and chaotic as it is, I don’t want you to be afraid of me on top of all that.”

Jeff scoffed. “Just like an Alpha, assuming I want to spend my heat with you without even asking.” He slapped Laff’s hands away and climbed off the bed. Yup, the mood had thoroughly flatlined. 

“No, that’s not what I meant. Jeff, wait!” Nearly falling off the bed in his rush, Laff chased after the Omega. “I just want you to have the option-”

“Let me tell you this, _Jack_ ,” Jeff yanked the zipper of his hoody up, forgoing a shirt all together, then spun around to jab a finger into Laff’s chest. “I don’t need anyone during a heat, I can handle it just fine on my own. It’ll be _my_ decision and _no one elses_ and I don’t give a flying fuck what you think!” 

Laff grabbed the hand, ignoring how the fingers clenched tightly into a fist, and kissed the knuckles. “Babe, that’s what I was trying to say, I swear. I want you to be comfortable with me, enough so that you could choose to spend the time with me. Don’t avoid me because you’re scared, but because..”

Well no, Laff didn’t want Jeff to avoid him at all. For any reason. But that was absolutely Jeff’s choice and Laff would stand by whatever he decided, no matter how much it made him cringe. Going by the scowl, it was looking like a firm ‘ _not in hell_ ’. 

“I need to get home. I’ll call you later.”

Closing the door behind Jeff, Laff closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“Shit.”

The things love did to you..Thirty years old and he could still fall flat on his face.

\---

After he’d fished the toy out of the pool and put his hysterical mother to bed, Liu went looking for his brother. 

Knowing exactly where to go didn’t help that much. With how school was out, the Arcade was filled with hoards of teenagers in all shapes and sizes and attitudes and finding one small, dark-haired boy was going to be a pain in the ass. Too dark, too bright, too noisy, too crowded..

According to their mother, _some_ siblings had a bond so strong they could find each other in a crowded football stadium, therefore one measly arcade shouldn’t be a problem no matter how the lights flashed and speakers crackled.

And just like every other time their mother got wistful, Jeff had taken it as a stab towards himself and refused to speak to Liu, this time for three whole days. While on the one hand it had given Liu some breathing space to deal with his piling-up responsibilities, on the other it’d still hurt. When their dad had been alive..

But he wasn’t. 

And they were going to have to deal with it.

Jeff was in the back corner where all the noisy shooter games were. He was wearing Liu’s clothes again even though the material sagged around his frame like baggy elephant skin, and Liu had to bite back a growl. Even with his second Heat come and gone, Jeff still refused to even _try_ conforming to his Omega status, hence the school’s very expensive electronic baby-doll tossed into the family pool.

Hence their mother’s hysterics at finding what looked like an infant floating facedown in the water.

Liu would have to admit, however grudgingly, that the robo-toy was horrifically realistic and it made his skin crawl, but that was no reason for Jeff to add yet another bill to their household. Things were already stretched enough and those dolls were expensive and...

Liu reached out and grabbed the back of Jeff’s shirt, gripping the extra folds of cloth in his fist tightly to haul his brother away from the game. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Oh fuck off, Liu! Leave me alone!” Jeff tried to grab the edge of the booth to brace himself but Liu had the advantage of surprise and it was all Jeff could do to stay on his feet as he got dragged backwards. “Let me go!”

“You’re going home and explaining to Mom why you skipped class!”

“FUCK that class! I’m not going!”

“Can’t you at least _try_ to make things easier for me?”

Outside where it was quieter and calmer, Jeff managed to get himself free and turned around to face Liu fully. “I’ll fucking try when you all stop trying to make me into some sort of weak and mild Omega! I’m not! Dad ne-!”

“Dad’s the reason you’re being a selfish, spoiled brat,” Liu told him coldly. “If he hadn’t treated you like an Alpha when we were small, then you would have learned to _be the Omega you are_.”

The look of betrayal would haunt Liu for years to come, but at the moment he was too angry to care. He was barely seventeen and had the weight of the world on his shoulders with a household to run, bills to keep track of, a weeping mother to comfort, and a jackass little brother to take care of _on top of_ trying to graduate highschool and get his driver’s license.

“Fuck you Liu!”

Liu decked him. It just sort of.. happened. But looking down at his cowed brother filled him with a savage sort of satisfaction and Liu ignored his throbbing hand. “Get up. We’re going home. Now.”

“Liu…”

“No. You want to act like a badly behaved Omega, then I’ll fucking treat you like one. _Get. Up_.”

\---

“When you said you wanted more room, I thought you meant a bigger apartment..”

Jeff flipped through the print-outs Laff had produced from his travel bag. Two stories, one story, back yards, no yard at all, town house, farm house… His stomach clenched.

“I was? But I kept thinking of all the things I wanted to do, and realized a house would suit better.”

“All the things?”

“Mmhm. C’mere.” 

Jeff hesitated before he let Laff turn him around and pull him close, so that they were sitting back to chest on the cramped, narrow bed. Had his bed always been this small? Hadn’t felt like it growing up, but with six and a half feet of well-inked Alpha taking up most of the room… his bed was _tiny_. If L didn’t keep his knees bent, his legs would hang right off the edge and wouldn’t that have looked ridiculous.

Now that he could see the papers too, Laff tapped on the picture of a small 2-story. “What I want is to separate things out. I’m tired of waking up with markers jabbing me in the face because I kicked the desk in my sleep and knocked things over. I want a bedroom _and_ a studio, and a place we can watch a movie without having to re-arrange the whole place. I want a kitchen-”

“You don’t even use the one you have!”

“-and a bathtub that will actually let me lay back and relax without my knees touching my chin. In the end, a house just makes sense. And if I get a house, I want a jacuzzi. A really big, really fancy, hundreds-of-settings, jacuzzi.”

Alright… that all made sense. But… “Why’d you wait so long to get a bigger place then, if you’re feeling so cramped in the apartment. Unless you’re going to try telling me that it’s only a recent thing.”

Suspicion. All of it. Laff grinned and nuzzled at Jeff’s warm, pale neck. “It wouldn’t be a lie. I didn’t see the point of spending the time and money looking, since I never spent that much time at home before now. Didn’t have a reason to. But if I am going to be home more often now then I need to get some leg room before I turn into a pretzel.”

“....sorry.”

“Don’t be, because I’m not.”

It was and wasn’t funny, but Jeff didn’t like to go out much. Unless it was for his paintball team he tended to stick around his apartment, or Laff’s these last few weeks, and L hadn’t been able to put his finger on why. He had the idea it was mostly because of how people reacted to a snarky Omega on the street, but that didn’t seem very Jeff-like to avoid confrontation. 

“When are you going to start looking around?”

“I was hoping to start next week. There’s a few houses I have my eye on.. and I was hoping you’d have some time next week to go with me.” 

“God yes. Get me the fuck out of here.”

...not exactly the reaction he’d been hoping for, but he could understand the knee-jerk response as he gazed around the room. Ning Woods had been very.. ah.. idealistic when decorating. It was pretty sad considering her age. The paint on the walls was so fresh he could still smell it, and he would have to admit to swallowing a chuckle when Jeff first pushed him inside, because the bed had a dust ruffle. As did the lamp. And the curtains on the window.

A chuckle that swiftly died as he saw the stricken expression on Jeff’s face. “She…”

“It’s just for the night,” Laff soothed. He rubbed his hands up and down Jeff’s arms until the Omega looked at him with hurt eyes. “We’ll be gone after breakfast, right? I’ll tell her it’s because.. I have… a meeting. With people.”

“She’d accept that from you.”

Jeff sounded tired. And depressed. Laff couldn’t figure out how Ning Woods could look at her own child and decide that this, _this_ was what her son wanted and needed - a pastel pink room with white ruffles and a picture of a big-eyed kitten that was honestly creeping L out.

Even so, Laughing Jack did truly and honestly intend to behave himself and not make any problems between Jeff and his mother. Or at least not add to them. Ning Woods however was wearing very, very thin on his nerves.

She could barely bring herself to look at Laff ever since the first time she’d had to crane her head back to look up at him, but that didn’t stop her from fawning over him like Laff was the Messiah himself. She nagged at Liu, hounded Jeff, and then heaped compliments onto L.

“She’s worried if she doesn’t treat you properly then you’ll dump me.”

“..what?”

“She’s the one that raised me, isn’t she? How she acts should be how I’ll act, so if she’s super domestic and shit, then I must be the same and you’ll be happy knowing you got a really well trained Omega.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake..” L didn’t curse often, but some situations required it. 

Really, he’d intended to play his part. Celebrate Ning’s 37th birthday with a nice dinner, make small-talk with a grim-looking Liu, and try to bolster Jeff’s swiftly plummeting mood with little jokes and stories. ...oh god, he was only seven years younger than Jeff’s mother. But then she’d had Liu at the grand age of sixteen, then Jeff at eighteen. Laff could barely wrap his mind around the idea that if she’d had her way, Jeff right now would have a baby on his hip and a toddler at his feet.

Christ.

The woman meant well, which made it all so much worse. All she wanted was for her children to be happy and healthy according to the guidelines she’d been raised by. Laff looked around the room again. Down at the subdued and quiet young man curled up against his chest.

“....want to grab our bags and go get a hotel room?”

“She’ll cry,” Jeff muttered.

“I _really_ don’t care. Let’s go find a cheap hotel used by hookers and let them hear how it’s really done.”

“Oh my fucking god.” He may have tried to hide it under a hand, but Laff could tell he was grinning. “You could just fuck me in my childhood bed, isn’t that how all the pornos start?”

“And chance her barging in? I’ll take the hookers.”

\---

“JEFF!”

“Liu, don’t yell at your brother!”

Closing his eyes, Liu counted to ten. Opening them, he felt his lips all but sprain themselves as he smiled at her gently. Taking his coat off and hanging it on the rack, he said “It’s alright mom, I’ll go upstairs and speak with him. Are you baking? It smells good.”

“Oh! Yes! My cookies!” Ning’s hands flew up to her face and she wavered anxiously between returning to the kitchen and waiting for Liu to..

“It’s alright, you can go.” Liu dropped the smile as his oh-so-very traditional mother immediately fled for the kitchen to check on her baking. Then he shot up the stairs two at a time to go _speak_ with his damn brother. The bedroom door was locked as usual, and Liu swore as he slammed his fist against the wood. “Open the damn door Jeff!”

“Fuck off!”

“Open the door before I remove it!”

The sound of a deadbolt sliding back, and Liu threw the door open. He shoved Jeff towards the middle of the room so he could get the door closed behind him and keep Ning from over-hearing too much. “Why the hell am I getting called about a meeting with your teachers? What the fuck did you do now?”

“Nothing!”

Liu’s eyes narrowed as Jeff half-turned away. Thick chunks of hair had been pulled over the left side of his face and that was suspicious. He grabbed Jeff’s shoulder and wrenched him around so that they were face to face. 

The skin around Jeff’s left eye was swollen and turning purple.

“God _dammit_ Jeff!”

“Yes, because it was all _my_ fault and no one else is to blame! _I didn’t do anything_!”

You exist, Liu bit back the words before he could say them. “I had to tell my boss I needed a day off of work to go meet with your teachers, again. What the hell do I have to do to make you understand that I can’t keep doing this?”

“Do _what_? You’ve done nothing but scream at me since Dad died!”

Liu raised a hand, meaning to run it through his hair, and caught how Jeff flinched away from him. Fuck. “All I’ve asked of you, is stop making Mom cry and to pass your damn classes. Is that so hard for you? Stop causing so much trouble for everyone!”

Jeff smiled bitterly and turned away. “Why? That’s all I can do.”

“Then just.. stop being _you_ , for five fucking minutes, and give me a break. If you can manage that much, I’ll…” Liu wracked his brain for something that Jeff would actually want. Other than a new life. “...I’ll sign off on your driving lessons.”

Jeff scoffed, but there was the tiniest of pauses before he did, and Liu latched onto it. “If you can finish off the semester with passing grades and _no more fucking meetings_ , I’ll help you get your license. If you can find it within yourself to actually _graduate_ , I’ll get you an apartment.”

Jeff’s eyes snapped over to him. “Bullshit. Mom would never allow it.”

“Mom says I’m the Alpha and I’m in charge,” Liu said grimly. “She can’t stop me from doing anything.”

“...go away Liu.”

“Terms over in a month,” Liu reminded him. “That might be enough time to get your grades up. We’ll talk about it then.”

“Get out!”

\---

The distance between them wasn’t much, maybe six feet considering the size of the tiny apartment, but there suddenly seemed to be this huge chasm in the kitchen floor and Laff… was tired. 

“Babe..” He stopped. Ran a hand over his head. He’d almost ignored the pounding on his front door, unsure if he’d wanted to continue the argument, but in the end he’d had to do it and see what Jeff thought he needed to say after some time apart.

Something that Jeff was obviously struggling with, and though Laff wanted to reach out and soothe away the lines that wrinkled between those pretty blue eyes, he kept his hands by his sides. When Jeff continued to stay silent, Laff said very quietly-

“I didn’t ask you to move in with me because I expect you to stay home, barefoot and pregnant as the perfect House-Omega.” He leaned back into the counter behind him, making sure to give Jeff his space. “I asked you because I love you and want you with me forever. Upsetting you wasn’t my intention, I just wanted you to know how much you mean to me.”

Jeff’s head bowed, still standing by the front door where Laff had let him in, arms crossed over his chest defensively. “I know. I didn’t mean to… I know I’m the biggest pain in the ass, and you’re amazing, and I don’t know why or how you put up with me, but you don’t _understand_.” 

“Then talk to me,” Laff pleaded. He started to straighten up, but caught himself in the next moment. If he approached Jeff now, they’d never talk and nothing would get solved. This was too important, and Laff feared this was the make it or break it moment of their relationship.

“It’s like... sandpaper. Against my skin. All my life I’ve been told I’m supposed to be meek and pretty and waiting for someone to take care of me. I don’t _want_ to wear nice clothes and go shopping and.. and…”

_Get married._

Laff knew the ending to that sentence, and he tried not to let the hurt show.

“I’ve never once tried to hold you back, from anything. All I ever asked was for you to work with me rather than against me.”

 _“I know that._ But every once in a while you do.. or say… something that I’ve been told I’m supposed to want and it makes me feel like I don’t have a choice.”

“Bullshit,” Laff snapped. Ignoring Jeff’s flinch, he slammed a hand down on the countertop. “There will always be a choice for you. I may not like the choices, but I will never, _ever_ , force you to do something you don’t want to do. Tell me no, tell me to back off, I can take it. I want you in my life and I will take what I can get, but you have to _talk to me_.”

Jeff curled further into himself, fingers clutching at the sleeves of his coat. He was barefoot, Laff noticed suddenly. Standing on the yellow linoleum that covered the doorway to the kitchen, he looked so small and young. There was a shine to his eyes when he glanced up, and in a tiny voice that made Laff ache-

“I don’t want to be owned.”

Laff eased himself away from the counter and moved slowly towards him. When he was halfway there, those few scant feet, he went down on one knee in front of Jeff. “Babe, you are the light of my life. If you don’t want to move in, that’s okay. If you don’t want to have a wedding, then that’s alright too. I’d still like you to help me find a new place, because I wasn’t lying about wanting you to be comfortable with wherever I choose to live.”

He held out a hand and waited for Jeff to unclench his fingers from his coat and slowly reach down to take it. His hand was cold and Laff pressed it to his cheek to warm it up. “I want a partner, not a pet.”

“Then don’t chain me, _please_.”

“Never,” Laff promised.

Jeff drew in a shaky breath. 

Hard to believe this was the arrogant creature who had only hours ago had shown up for their lunch date spitting mad, with a fire in his eyes that Laff couldn't help but appreciate.

The young Beta waiter hadn't even had the chance to consider Laff sitting at the table before Jeff started snapping out their orders almost faster than the kid could keep up with. Jeff had been stunning in his anger, and L had nearly laughed out loud when Jeff dismissed the poor kid with the most arrogant flap of the hand the Alpha had ever seen. 

Laff knew he was already smitten with this determined little Omega, but he could feel himself falling even harder as Jeff made it clear he would not tolerate being ignored. Before he'd been able to catch himself the words had slipped past his tongue-

_"Marry me."_

\---

“Are you _sure_ you’re happy with this? It’s so far from home. What if something happens?”

“It’s fine! It’s right in the middle of town, not the damn desert!”

“I’m just _worried_ ,” Ning wrung her hands together. “You’re my baby, you shouldn’t be going off on your own like this. Liu I could understand, but you? Are you _sure_ you want to go through with this? If it’s because Liu’s been bullying you…”

Liu resisted banging his head against a wall. Ning and Jeff had been arguing in circles for the last half hour and neither looked like they were running out of steam. Or tears in Ning’s case. 

“For fucks sake Mom!”

“Jeffrey!”

“Alright, we’re getting nowhere with this,” Liu sighed. He stepped away from the tempting wall and put himself between the two. “Mom, he’ll be fine. He knows to call if anything happens. Jeff, stop antagonizing her. Why don’t we go have lunch and talk about _anything_ else?”

“ _But I haven’t even met his Beta, yet!_ ” Ning wailed.

Jeff threw his hands up in the air and stalked away to stare out the window. The apartment building was only four floors, but it was Omega and Beta exclusive. It was the only way Liu had managed to squeak the idea past their mother, but one of the restrictions was that every Omega had to have a Beta roommate. If the Omega didn’t have one, then they could be matched up with one through the Agency. 

Jeff’s new roommate was a Beta named Jane but he’d not seen her yet, just exchanged a couple texts. In fact, though there were a heap of boxes on her side of the apartment and clothes tossed all over the bed, the lack of Jane’s presence was entirely planned. Jeff had warned her that his mother was going to be coming to see him off, and unless Jane wanted to be interrogated by a howler monkey, she best not stick around.

He’d gotten a thumbs up and kissy-lips in response. Whatever the fuck that meant.

….he was really curious about that gun he’d seen through the doorway though. 

\---

“Babe, I was just teasing.”

“Fuck you L!”

“Awww, come on..” Laff reached out to grab Jeff’s arm as the Omega turned away with a red face. For his troubles, he got an explosion of pain across his jaw and it took him a moment to realize Jeff had just punched him. 

Jeff. 

Had punched him.

A different Alpha, or Laughing Jack himself if he’d been younger, would have punched back. Perhaps more than once to put this disobedient Omega in his place. Laff did not. What he did do, however, was grab both of Jeff’s wrists and slam them into the wall over Jeff’s head to pin him into place. 

“Let go of me!”

“Not until you calm down!”

“L, I’m warning you!”

Laughing Jack leaned in close, looming over the much smaller man until Jeff swallowed hard, eyes darting everywhere but at Laff’s chilly eyes. “ _I_. Am warning. _You_. You _do not_ get to hit me, for any reason, no matter how angry you are. Do you hear me?”

“Or what, you’ll hit me back?” Jeff hissed. He tried to squirm free of Laff’s grip and winced when the man clamped down harder… and then released him. Confusion flashed across Jeff’s face when Laff turned and walked away. Only to the other side of the room, but it was far enough to make a point.

“...L?”

“You should go.”

“Because I hit you? Don’t be such a wuss!”

Jeff flinched under the hard look Laughing Jack gave him. Confused and frustrated, he dug his heels in and ducked his head down stubbornly. “ _Fine_. I’ll _leave_. Jane’s been complaining about not seeing me anyways.”

The continued silence unnerved him and Jeff made a hasty retreat. He’d not done anything wrong, he’d tried to ask Laff to stop and he hadn’t listened! Did they need a damn safe word for casual conversations now? He’d give L a call or something tomorrow after the guy had some time to chill out.

Except Jeff didn’t.

Nor did he call the day after that. 

During that time, Laff had kept himself busy with packing up the rest of the apartment. There was no need to rush, the movers wouldn’t be there until next week, but he needed something to do with his hands that didn’t need a lot of conscious thought because.. he had other things on his mind.

The bruising was minor, hardly noticeable, but if Jeff reacted to idle teasing with a fist, what would he do later on when he and Laff had other issues to sort out? It was one thing to stand up to assholes who mocked him for who he was, but it was quite another to bring violence against a loved one. 

And Laughing Jack did kind of hope he counted as a loved one…?

….suddenly, he wanted a drink. Badly. Just a shot or two to calm him down. Or.. He rubbed a thumb over the inside of his elbow and the little dimples he could still feel. Covered by ink, but not something he could fully erase. Everyone made bad decisions in their youth, some more than others, so he couldn’t fault Jeff too much for acting his age. He was young and stupid and would need time to grow out of it just like Laughing Jack had.

That is, if Jeff didn’t get himself killed first. Because Jeff was forgetting something important- he was still an Omega. He could be as feisty and spirited as he wanted, but if he started barking at the wrong dogs they were going to rip his throat out without thinking twice.

Right. Yeah. L had to get out of the apartment before the walls closed in on him. Grabbing his jacket and phone, and checking it again, Laff patted his pockets for his keys and locked the door behind him. There was a local place nearby that served breakfast even at midnight, so maybe he’d go that way and get some pancakes since he’d worked right through dinner.

It was one of the few places that had booths big enough to stretch his legs out under while he ate, though it turned out he wasn’t as hungry as he thought. While he poked half-heartedly at his pancakes, he saw his phone light up with a song _ding!_ to announce a text message.

About time. He’d been almost ready to give up and message Jeff first.. Laff quickly tapped through the icons to get to the messages, but to his disappointment it wasn’t Jeff at all. It was Liu.

_Meet me at Jeff’s_

Well… that was foreboding. Two days of no contact wasn’t that bad compared to previous times, but to suddenly get a message from Liu?

Laff lost all remaining interest in his midnight snack. Pulling out his wallet he left a few bills that would more than cover the cost by past experience, and took to his feet. He calculated that it’d take ten minutes to get back to the parking garage, fifteen to get to Jeff’s apartment building if there was no one else on the street. The creaking elevator would be another five minutes but if he took the stairs.. Twenty-eight minutes, tops, and he’d know what was going on.

...except Laff did it in twenty. He didn’t want to consider all the laws he’d likely broken on the way over, but it was worth it. Hopefully. Slightly out of breath, he came to a stop by Jeff’s apartment door where Liu watched him passively with a cigarette in hand.

“Hey.”

Laff wasn’t in the mood for small talk. “Where is he?”

“Inside. Jane called me before she went to stay with her girlfriend because he’s in one of his moods. Be careful with him, I don’t want to tell our mother that I let her precious baby get beaten by _two_ Alphas in the same week.”

Laughing Jack stared at the shorter man for a moment. Was that what Liu Woods thought of him? An Alpha liable to beat his Omega for being upset? He knew the brothers didn’t get along well, but for Liu to sound like he didn’t even _care_ if Laff did or didn’t…

Laughing Jack shook his head and moved past Liu, letting the Alpha slink off into the night now that he’d washed his hands of his brother. L fought to keep his tone level as he opened the door and called out for his wayward boyfriend-

“Jeff?”

The living room was dark but not pitch black thanks to a dim light from the kitchen, and Laff caught movement from the couch. Carefully closing the door behind him, Laff crept up to the couch where Jeff had crammed himself into the corner. “Hey.. Can I join you?”

A jerky head nod. He didn’t smell like blood but even in the dim light L could see the heavy bruise covering Jeff’s cheek. “Oh Babe…”

“Don’t. Don’t patronize me,” the words thick and hoarse. 

“Never.” Jeff was wearing a shirt that was far too big for him, and Laff noted that it looked a lot like the one he’d spent the last few days looking for. If Jeff was comfort-scenting.. “Are you okay?” 

There was another jerk of the head, but this time it was a ‘no’, he was _not_ okay, and was ready to finally admit it. Jeff held out a hand with a pleading look and nothing could have kept Laughing Jack from taking it, pressing a kiss to the knuckles.

Taking a seat on the couch and moving slowly, then slower still as Jeff let out a pained whimper, Laff got his arms around the slender man and pulled him close. “It’s alright Babe. I got you,” he whispered to the rigid form that slowly melted against him. Poor baby.. angry as L had been a few days ago, Jeff getting the shit beaten out of him was _not_ what Laff had wanted to see. While it might temper Jeff’s willingness to pick a fight with people in the future, he hadn’t deserved this. 

That’s what L had tried to say a few days ago- _no one_ deserved to get smacked around.

“Want to tell me what happened?”

When Jeff didn’t respond, Laff shifted them both just enough so that he could look down at the Omega’s face and the shamed expression on it. “I’m not going to yell at you, I promise. Please tell me what happened?”

“Jane..” Jeff had to stop and clear his throat. “Jane’s been bugging me to get out more, and she’d found a club that was supposed to be Omega only. And Betas. But there was this bunch of guys upset that Alpha’s weren’t allowed in, and were standing around by the doors. I couldn’t… I was still so _mad_...” Jeff ducked his head down.

Angry and faced with probably drunk, horny Alpha’s outside a dance club…? Yeah Laff could take a good guess on what had happened. Pressing another kiss to the top of Jeff’s head, “you need to get a grip on that temper of yours, Babe. Do you want to see a doctor?”

“No, they’d.. No. The club security got involved real fast, so I’m not… they didn’t…You don’t have to worry, I’m not..” Jeff trailed off helplessly.

Laff puzzled through the starts and stops, and after a long moment he realized what Jeff had meant with a surge of anger. Jeff didn’t think he needed to see a doctor because he hadn’t been raped. He was a mess of bruises head to toe, but Laff didn't have to worry about Jeff being ‘tainted’, so everything was fine.

That.. that was… 

“Jeffrey Woods, if you can think for _one moment_ that that’s all I care about, then you’ve not been paying attention. You little fool,” Laff pressed his face into the dark hair, pulling Jeff snug against his chest. “I love you, with or without your bad habits, so try to have a _little_ faith in me.”

\----

“I don’t like it.”

“L, it’s a cold. I’m not going to die from a simple, common cold,” Jeff swatted his Alpha away with a cranky hand. “Go to work already! You have people waiting on you!”

“Yes, but…”

“Bring me back some ice cream when you leave the Parlor.”

“But...”

“ **L**.”

Laughing Jack sighed. “Alright, fine. I’ll call you when I take a break for lunch. Promise me you’ll eat something?” He’d brought some water bottles to the bedroom, leaving them on the side table along with those mini oranges Jeff loved so much. 

Rolling his eyes, Jeff held up his right hand. “I solemnly promise I will make myself lunch at the proper time so I don’t wither away into dust by the time you get home.”

“Smartass.” Laff leaned over the bed and pressed a kiss to the far-too-warm forehead. “I’m going. Get some rest Babe, and we’ll talk later. Text me if you feel any worse?”

“Yeah yeah…” Jeff flopped back down into the pillows and burrowed in under the blankets. His head was throbbing like a mother fucker and he ached all over, but that was no reason for L to sit by in boredom just because Jeff was being a whiny baby.

If Jeff didn’t know any better he’d almost think he was about to start a Heat. He certainly felt miserable enough, but thanks to his tightly regimented Suppressants he only had to deal with that damn mess twice a year. 

At least it wasn’t the Flu, Jeff was grateful enough for that. 

Being sick _sucked_.

**Author's Note:**

> .
> 
> -Author Notes that may or may not be important-
> 
> Bondmates are when the Alpha and Omega have shared a heat together and continue to live in the same home. AKA- a Common Law Marriage but without all the finicky details actually being married would need. (And would have allowed Liu to bring Jeff back to the family if Laughing Jack turned out to be a psycho.)
> 
> In a less civilized world, this allowed Alpha’s to create a Harem of Omegas, while only legally married to one. Or, for a desperate family to ‘rent’ out an Omega to an Apha who needed an heir.


End file.
